The present invention relates to a system for scoring targets hit by a marksman during practice.
It is disturbing that many people are forced to choose between the loss of life or limb, and the use of a firearm. Still worse, most of these people are not trained, either in the decision making, or in the proper use of such a firearm.
The training courses currently in use by military, police and civilians are almost all based upon shooting a fixed target under ideal conditions. Even the so-called Practical Police Course, and special police combat courses are in reality only target courses which use a silhouette rather than the familiar bullseye. These courses are incapable of adequately training an individual in the practical defensive use of a firearm.
Techniques are now used by target shooters to develop and maintain basic firearm skills without the necessity of frequent trips to the range and firing large quantities of ammunition. These techniques, however, are today of little value to the person who seeks to become skilled in the defensive use of a firearm. Dry firing, while lone used by target shooters to become initimately familiar with a particular firearm and to develop and maintain breathing, sight alignment, sight picture, grip, trigger pull, etc., is of little use to someone who must develop a high degree of expertise in the practical and defensive use of a firearm. In the real world, true expertise demands the balance of many factors not required in target shooting, such as speed, reaction time, judgement, recognition and accuracy. Often, poor light, short time and awkward position preclude the use of sights and demand instinctive or point shooting.
Due to expense, attempts to simulate real world situations using motion pictures and various electronic guns and shooting gallery configurations have not been successful. The feel and construction of electronic guns are quite different from those of a real loaded firearm, and a high degree of skill with a training firearm is of no value when a real situation is encountered and the officer must use a real firearm. Second, because of the bulk of such systems, they are limited to two or three variations of the same scheme.
The present invention relates to a unique system which provides the flexibility of realistically simulating many different situations for both sport and practice shooting. These include drawing and shooting, movement through a course, encountering different light and terrain conditions, sequential firing at different targets, distinguishing between targets and "hostages," etc. Hits are accurately counted and timed during different shooting routines. The present invention further has the flexibility of being readily adaptable to existing target ranges and contests.
This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a separate control module and a plurality of timer modules connected thereto. The control module produces a start signal and, at a given time thereafter, a stop signal. Hits can be counted only in the time between the start and stop signals. The timer modules are each connected to one or more sensors, and count the hit signals which are made between the start and stop signals and the time between the start signal and the time at which a predetermined number of hit signals have been counted. The number of hits and the times are then displayed. By using separate modules, maximum flexibility is provided, and one control module can be used to control as many separate timing modules as desired.
A number of different aspects of the present invention provide its flexibility. According to one aspect of the invention, a separate hostage or disqualify target provides a signal to the timing module which, if hit, displays dramatically, for example, by flashing the display, that an incorrect target has been struck.
Within the control module, start logic is provided which permits the system to begin operation upon receipt of any of a plurality of different inputs which can be selected. The system can respond to a sound, for example, a starting gun, whistle or gong. An enable circuit, connected to the sound-start circuit is operable by a switch so that the sound must be produced within a predetermined time after switch operation, thus protecting against inadvertent starting. Alternately, a manual switch can be used to initiate operation of the system. By a third choice, a pseudo-random start circuit can be used to produce a start signal at a given time after operation of the manual switch or after all of the timer modules have produced and ALLSTOP signal, indicating completion of their cycle.
According to a further aspect of the invention, each of the timer modules includes two counter circuits which can be set to record different counts. Upon reaching its predetermined count, the first counter produces a signal which transfers to a latch the count of the hit counter in the display and the time counter in the display. When the second counter reaches its predetermined count, a logic signal produces an ALLSTOP signal which prevents further counting in the time counter. Logic circuitry within the control module permits either the contents of the latch or the contents of the display counter to be displayed.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the control module can operate in a sequential start mode in which only one timer module is started by the control module and the next timer module is started by the end of the cycle of the first timer, etc.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.